Canwest News Service is recruiting journalism students from Concordia University to replace workers at the Montreal Gazette in case there is a strike or lockout.

CBC News has learned that several students were approached with offers to work for the news service on a fill-in basis, in case Gazette editorial, advertising and sales staff decides to execute their strike mandate.

Journalism student Dominique Jarry-Shore received a call from a Canwest editor asking her whether she would be interested in writing for the newspaper.

"He explained that it was because of the contentious labour negotiations that were going on and the possibility of a strike, and that he was trying to line up people to write for him," said Jarry-Shore, who has written on a freelance basis for the Gazette in the past.

She declined, despite what she called the enticing nature of the offer.

It's really bad of management to screw with students this way. Beyond the reaction of their peers, if these are full-time jobs with no set beginning and ending time, they expecting the kids to just shelve school?